As Albertans deal with a heat wave that’s expected to last for several days – many have also seen a series of power outages which have reportedly affected office buildings and traffic lights.
On Monday afternoon, EPCOR officials said in a news release that it was following a directive from the Alberta Electrical System Operator (AESO) to cut electricity consumption in Edmonton.
Officials said the company is maintaining power to hospitals and emergency services as a priority during the rolling brownouts.
The power company also said AESO has directed energy providers to cut power consumption due to a discrepancy between supply and demand.
EPCOR has asked Edmonton customers to reduce their power consumption by taking some of the following measures:
- Turning off unnecessary lights and electrical appliances
- Minimizing use of air conditioning – by closing blinds during the hottest part of the day
- Avoid using appliances that consume a lot of power – such as dishwashers, and washers and dryers during the energy conservation period
A number of blackouts have been reported throughout Edmonton – affecting a number of high-traffic intersections and office buildings.
EPCOR said the blackouts are expected to last, on average, for one hour at a time.
CTV News has learned four power stations in Alberta went down at some point on Monday, it’s not clear when they could be back up.
It isn’t just Edmontonians facing rolling blackouts either; residents throughout the province are dealing with the same issues.
In Calgary, ENMAX has also initiated rolling blackouts for the same reasons.
ENMAX said in a tweeted statement that the outages will continue until AESO officials say normal operations can return.
According to AESO, Albertans are asked to cut power consumption until about 6 pm Monday.
For more information, and to report a power outage, follow the link to the ENMAX website.
With files from CTV Calgary
